LaRon Landry agrees to one-year deal with Jets

Steven Bisig/US PresswireLaRon Landry was a five-year starter for the Redskins.

UPDATED 6:23 p.m.

Nearly a week into free agency, the http://www.nj.com/jets/ addressed what is arguably their biggest need: the safety position.

The Jets signed former Washington Redskins starter LaRon Landry to a one-year deal today, per a person with knowledge of the terms of the contract. That person requested anonymity because the team has not announced the financial terms. ESPN reported the deal is worth $4 million.

The Jets were very thin at the position, with Eric Smith the only seasoned safety on the roster. They missed out on Reggie Nelson, who elected to re-sign with the Bengals after the Jets offered, and Brandon Meriweather, who signed with the Redskins before taking his scheduled visit with the Jets.

They couldn’t afford to lose out on Landry, considered the best safety left on the market. He visited the New England Patriots on Saturday and planned to meet with three more teams, but did not make it past his visit to Florham Park. The Jets have spent modestly in free agency thus far, but invested in this position of need.

“After spending time with the organization as a whole, I just felt that signing with the Jets was the right thing to do,” Landry said in a release distributed by the team. “When you factor in that Rex coached my brother and the family-oriented demeanor, it just felt like home. It made the decision real easy for me. They have a top-notch support staff and facility and I really feel that I can prosper here.”

The 27-year-old brings five seasons of starting experience, but he also has injury concerns. He only played a combined 17 games the past two seasons, each cut short by an Achilles injury he has chosen to address with alternative treatments rather than surgery. The short-term deal gives him a chance to prove he is healthy.

Landry’s older brother, Dawan Landry, was a 2006 fifth-round pick by the Baltimore Ravens, where Ryan was his defensive coordinator for three seasons. LaRon Landry was a first-round pick by Washington in 2007, joining cornerbacks Darrelle Revis, Antonio Cromartie and Kyle Wilson as the fourth former first-round pick in the Jets secondary.

Landry is more of a box safety, who racked up tackles for the Redskins with his 220-pound frame and is a good fit for coach Rex Ryan’s blitz packages. But that means the Jets may still need to bring in a free safety with good coverage skills -- not Smith’s forte, either.

The team has inquired about O.J. Atogwe, and hybrid cornerback/safety Jarrett Bush visited the Jets on Saturday.

Depth in the secondary overall is still a need. Safety Brodney Pool, who started 18 games for the Jets over the past two seasons, signed with the Cowboys last week. Jim Leonhard, a Ryan favorite, is still available but he is rehabbing a season-ending patellar tendon tear.

Cornerback Marquice Cole, who was not given a restricted free-agent tender by the Jets, signed with the Patriots, the team announced today. Defensive back Donald Strickland is also a free agent.